A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
Jobless - Leslie
Posted: Sep 23, 2013
I am reaching the point of a mid life crisis. I am 42 and have been working at home full-time for the last 16 years. At one time, I was working for four separate offices typing 11 physicians per day. Mid August, I lost the last of my accounts to EMR and have been searching for a job ever since. I have even considered totally changing occupations and have applied for the post office, but it truly is not what I want to do. I want to stay in the medical transcription industry as it is what I went to school for and I still want to work at home. I am dang good at what I do and can type 2500+ lines per day. I am just getting really discouraged with no job prospects right now. I know a lot of other MTs are in the same boat, but was just curious if anyone out there reading this right now knows of any job prospects. I have a huge amount of urologic and physical therapy experience.
I would suggest you start looking harder for positions other than MT. - People with 20-30+ years SM
[ In Reply To ..]can't get contacted when they apply for positions, so I'd say your chances are pretty slim.
If you don't have acute care experience, about the only thing left is MTSO that hires newbies, or if you're lucky enough to stumble onto a smaller MTSO that needs someone with limited experience.
If you get that post office job, take it and consider yourself very lucky.
Otherwise, good luck. I've got 25+ years and no response from 4 companies I've applied to several weeks ago.
It's the real world, as evidenced by thousands of posts on this board, and it's staring all of us in the face.
out of work - anon
[ In Reply To ..]Truthfully I would look outside of MT. Go back to school. You're community college should have great rates. Mine's $1500 a semester. I'm gong to start an ASN, associates in nursing, but after I pass I can sit for the state nursing exam. That's good money. Otherwise and I may be shot, hung, torched, etc., I work at Nuance and have for 5 years. It all depends on the TSM you get. I have to advocate schmoozing but it sometimes makes a big difference in how much they help you if they like you. That being said, MT is going to see major changes in the next 5 years. They can't implement every hospital and physician overnight to a new way of doing things, but why wait until you're cornered to make some changes. If you want to work at home for not a lot of money (about 9.50) look at newcorp.com. They outsourced to homebound cust service for dish network. Seriously tho, go have a talk with your community college you might be surprised how many affordable options are out there!! Best of luck!!
out of work - extra reply - anon
[ In Reply To ..]I'm also looking to take my RN (after sitting for the state exam) to a rehab facility or hospice care. I've seen enough family die of cancer that it's very familiar to me and I understand dealing with the families of the patients too because I've been a family member. Rehab and hospice RNs get paid better because nobody wants to do those jobs.
Your plan is great! Some of us, however, are too close to retirment - MTRockyRoad
[ In Reply To ..]pile up student loan debt. I'd be 80 years old trying to pay off my debt. :-(
Looking into other possibilities...
Student loan debt is NOT a given - sm
[ In Reply To ..]You can learn a new career without that much student debt, and even without any at all.
Don't make assumptions that limit yourself. There are grants, interest-free payment plans, programs paid for by the federal government, and even completely free online education.
As an example, there were and probably still are completely funded programs in HIT that nobody here pursued. They would have been free to you. You can still get all the materials online for free, study them on your own, and take the certification test.
http://www.hrsa.gov/healthit/workforce/training.html
There are no oodles of online courses for free. Google MOOCs. There are entire degree programs on www.saylor.org. You can do those courses and take a CLEP exam for college credit or test out of a course at your college.
Want to learn coding? You can learn enough to function in a doctor's office from the materials on the CMS Medlearn website, a couple of code books, and a medical billing book (Amazon) . Combine that with your MT knowledge and you have instant medical front office.
Education does not require sitting in a classroom, having an instructor "teach you," or student loans. Where there is a will, there is a way.
If Abraham Lincoln could educate himself writing with a piece of coal on a shovel, we can certainly do it with the internet. Just find something and start today. One bit at a time.
To Student Loan is not a given - nn
[ In Reply To ..]Take the time to read the post that you responded to. In the post, the poster stated she was too close to retirement age to take on a lot of student loan debt. The poster could have been myself. I am 58 years old and by the time I finish a 4-year program, I would be 62 and eligible for early retirement. On a fixed income, I sure the heck would not want to try to be paying student loans back, plus the fact at that age, many employers would know that I would be eligible for early retirement and more than likely, I would not be hired.
Take time to read MY post - I have no debt at all
[ In Reply To ..]You make your own life. When you think you are too old, you become too old.
You are obviously much younger than the OP - nn
[ In Reply To ..]You are obviously much younger than either the OP or myself. I have health issues, as do many MTs whom are older and evben if we were to complete a 2 or 4 year degree program, there is no guarantee that we would be hired in our early 60s. Nor would many of us want to again incur any type of substantial debt. In a 4-year period of time, the average time that it would take to get a Bachelor's degree, a LOT of things could change -- as is evidenced by how MT has changed. Because of my medical condition and the fact that I recently found out that I have suffered several "min-strokes," as well as other neurologic issues, I am pursuing Social Security Disability.
Absolutely spot on! Unless a person wants to work until - Yep
[ In Reply To ..]age 80, they need to be careful about accruing a bunch of debt. I really think, though, we're all in agreement but are just looking at things from different points of view. There ARE many possibilities on the Internet, which should lead to different possible careers, and many of those are free or low cost, so a person approaching retirement could possibly advance their career in a new direction. However, I don't know about others, but despite appearing much younger than my age (what many have told me, including my doctor), as soon as my actual age is revealed, I'm sidelined. Not too many people actually want to hire someone in my age bracket when there are many people in their 30s and 40s also wanting the same job. It's very, very discouraging, and I'm not sure that any career retraining will overcome age discrimination. It would probably depend on the field and luck of the draw.
I agree with Spot On - vvk
[ In Reply To ..]My husband was let go after 25 years with Hartford Life at age 52. Even with a CPA, it took him 1-1/2 years to find a job, and then at $11 an hour! I truly believe there is age discrimination. I am now 56 y.o. with 37 years as an MT. Whereas in the past when I would apply for jobs and get many responses and offers, now they are far and in between.
I was nearly 60 - when
[ In Reply To ..]I retired from one career and returned to school to become a physician assistant. I had no trouble finding employment after I completed my 25-month program. My younger classmates may have had more physical stamina, but I had more life experience, better social skills, and better time management skills, so I had no difficulty keeping up with or surpassing them in academic performance. I also continued to do my part-time MT job just because I enjoyed it, and I still keep it now that I have the perfect post-retirement part-time job as a PA.
There are employers who value maturity.
I was nearly 60, too. - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I did a graduate certificate program to change careers and I am doing another now to improve my capabilities.
The person above me is correct ... many employers value maturity, stability, and life experience.
Which Cert program did you do? - NuAnon
[ In Reply To ..]Looking for possible future possibilities. thx
RHIA - there are several - nm
[ In Reply To ..]nm
Yes, I agree with you that there are free programs, but I was - Agree
[ In Reply To ..]referencing college programs and the cost when a person is near retirement age (and I do not qualify for any kind of grant). However, I'm actually taking an online program right now and am gaining experience in that field, too. Slowly put the pieces together, and the best part is that it's something I enjoy very much, too.
Wow - my CC is $3k semester - cheap-by
[ In Reply To ..]college tuition standards but with all the fluff classes, more than I want to spend. Books are more.
Western Governors is very reasonable - and very good
[ In Reply To ..]WGU charges by time, not credit hours. The more you can complete in a term (6 months) the faster you finish, and the faster you finish, the less your total cost will be. Courses are not structured into rigid beginning-ending dates, so that you can complete one in 2 days if you are able. There are two 6-month terms per year. Many students can complete an entire bachelors degree in 2-1/2 years. At 2890 per term, that is a bargain.
They are a real university with an excellent reputation, not a for-profit, and they only teach degree programs that offer good jobs. Their strengths are in information technology and computer science, education, nursing, business, and they also have a really good health informatics program that is AHIMA accredited and leads to the RHIA. Their students have a 100% pass rate on that, and they complete the CCA at a minimum, along with a number of computer certifications. You could work anywhere in HIM with that.
You have to be independently motivated and a self-learner, but most MTs fit that bill.
Jobless - Lissybell
[ In Reply To ..]http://www.getmedicaltranscriptionjobs.com/
Have you looked at the above site? I get daily emails from them. As an aside, I recently was looking into 911 dispatch operator positions. You have to take a typing test and then test at a facility after passing the test. The cost out here on the West Coast was 30 bucks. This is probably not up your alley as you still want to work at home. I work for Precyse and they are a good company, although I believe if they are hiring it would only be for second shift, 4 to midnight Eastern. Also, I had recently interviewed for a job with the state doing medical transcription, though in my case felt it was a step down for me and decided I did not want the job. I do see in-house positions for hospitals but not out here, only back East or the Midwest.
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